Four Low-Cost/High-Impact Employee Recognition Tactics

Ken West

Employee recognition is one the many moving parts of maintaining and improving job satisfaction and employee engagement. Research has shown that employees who are recognized for their achievements and hard work are happier, more engaged, and more productive. As a manager or leader at your business, you want to recognize employees, but you’re also cost-conscious. We’ve compiled some of the most cost-effective ways to recognize your employees below.

Hand Written Notes A hand written note from a supervisor is something that the recipient can showcase on top of their desk or keep in their desk drawer for when they need some extra motivation. In this tech age, taking the time to write a personalized note to an employee displays real leadership and thoughtfulness. It’s an easy way to show your employees that you took the time to pause, think about their accomplishments and pen it to paper. There’s no backspace button on a piece of paper.

Flexible Hours One tactic that employees respond positively to is rewards that encourage a better work-life balance. You show employees that you trust their time management skills and recognize their hard work by allowing those who are excelling to have more flexible hours. Allowing flexible hours for your best talent may seem like a bad idea, but it’s important to keep them fresh and rested for the next day; they’ve earned it. Burnout is a real threat, and it happens to the best workers, as they tend to work the hardest.

Telecommuting Thanks to technology, many employees are able to do their job from anywhere in the world. Depending on the work environment, some employees are more productive where they’re comfortable. Of course, don’t let an employee that’s easily distracted telecommute; reserve it as a reward for great work. Also keep tabs on who is most productive while telecommuting. That way, you’re getting a more productive and happier employee.

Creating a “Calm Space” Develop a work-free area where employees can escape their desk, but still stay on campus and in the right mindset. Taking short mental breaks keep employees more focused throughout the day. Employees can use this area to get re-energized and get back on their feet to finish the day strong. Also, consider using a brag board in this area to show off employees and keep morale up.

Of course, every organization is different and what may be ideal for one company may not be feasible for another. Creating a hap-hazard employee engagement or recognition program may have the opposite effect, as employees realize that you don’t understand them at all. Take the time to deploy an employee engagement survey to understand your employee’s views and determine your employee engagement baselines. Then, resurvey periodically to measure your improvement initiatives. In the meantime, use these employee recognition tactics to help keep your workforce focused and on-task.